Familiar Taste of Poison
by AquilaTempestas
Summary: Gary Oak has moved to Unova College in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends and seems to adapt well when things start to fall out of his control. Highschool. AU. Gary/Misty/Ash, Lance/Lyra and others.
1. First Day, Final Year

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Pokemon do not belong to me

**Title**

Familiar Taste of Poison

**Summary**

Gary Oak has moved to Unova College in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends and seems to adapt well when things start to fall out of his control.

**.**

**Chapter One: First Day, Final Year**

_Gary brought his face close to the kid's own, a firm hand grasping the shirt of his victim. The boy peered up at him, deep brown eyes wide open with fear. With a smirk, Gary brought a fist into the side of the boy's face then released him. The boy toppled to the ground, eyes burning with tears. A bruise would appear on his face later._

"_Don't fuck with my plans again," Gary warned, giving the poor kid a sharp kick to the stomach._

_The boy curled up into a ball, sobbing. Someone placed a hand on Gary's shoulder. "Good work, Gary. Tracey won't bother us again." _

_Gary turned to his companion, a tall dark purple-haired boy called Paul. "He should've known better than to try and steal money from us. The little fucker needed to be taught a lesson." He spat at the space in front of the boy, disgusted at the coward lying before him._

_Paul laughed, and gave Tracey a kick to the ribs. The boy winced, his sobs becoming louder. "Look at the pitiful fool." He towered over Tracey's trembling form, and smirked down at the boy. "You try to fuck with my boys again, and I swear you will never look the same again. You got that, kid?" Two other males standing behind Gary and Paul laughed._

"_We should probably get out of here," said a dark blue-hair coloured male, cold dark eyes sparkling with malicious intent. "We don't want Tracey's stupid friends giving us trouble."_

_Gary nodded. Although his gang were fully capable of holding their own against Tracey's friends, Gary had other plans for the remaining daylight hours. "As much as it pains me to leave, Damian is right. Let's split up; I'll catch up with you guys later. I've got a girl waiting for me at home," he said, giving his friends a wink._

_Paul gave a hearty laugh. "All right then, you make that bitch scream. Catch you later, Gary."_

Gary jolted from his bed, a cold sweat gripping his body. That same damn dream again. Except, it wasn't really a dream. It had actually happened a number of years ago when he was still living in Kanto. How life had changed since then. He lay back down in his bed, and tried to close his eyes to get back to sleep, but sleep wouldn't come. Sighing, he forced himself back up again. Ever since he moved to Unova three years ago, he had been haunted by memories of his previous years when he was a gang leader. He hated that part himself and desperately wished he could erase that part away. But he couldn't so he had to find other methods to cope.

When he first moved to Unova, he coped with his memories by drawing blood from his wrists. It was a release from the pain, but it was only a temporary one. Life had been difficult in that first year. He had no friends. Teachers distrusted him. Students made fun of him. His grandfather drove him crazy. They would fight constantly every day and it usually ended with Gary running away from home for a few hours only for the police to find him lying on a park bench.

Gary figured cutting was a better way than crying himself to sleep every night. He engaged in this habit at least once every few days after the cuts had healed, only to cut them open again. The cutting period in his life was a short-lived one though; his grandfather had accidentally walked in on him one morning while Gary was trying to bleed himself to death. He was stopped before he could do fatal damage. After that incident, his entire life changed for the better. He had learnt a valuable lesson that day; appreciate life to the fullest.

His relationship with his grandfather improved dramatically after that. Now Gary wasn't sure how he'd cope without him in his life. He could tell his grandfather everything, and he would always listen and offer a solution to his problems. It was because of Professor Oak the second and third years of life at the prestigious Unova College had improved. He had friends now. His grades were some of the highest in the school. People weren't scared of him anymore - in fact many people greeted him with kind words.

The life he lived at Kanto High was behind him now.

"Gary, breakfast is ready. I made your favourite," said a voice from behind his door.

French toast coated in blueberry sauce. Delicious. He didn't waste any more time lying motionless in bed; he swung his legs over the side and hurried to the kitchen where his grandfather waited for him. "Good morning, grandfather."

"Good morning, Gary."

He took his seat and immediately began to eat his breakfast. "Did you hear the latest news? Alder is stepping down from position as principal. Ghetsis will be replacing him," his grandfather said, taking a sip from his chamomile tea.

Ghetsis. Gary had heard the name before – Ghetsis had a son called N who was a bit of a celebrity in his home region of Unova. The boy had his own television show which was all about the beauty and power of nature. He seemed to be a nice kid though even if he was a famous person. "Why is Alder stepping down?"

"Alder wants to travel the world with his family."

That made sense. Alder had been principal for two decades now. That was a long time to be in charge of a high-ranking school. "It's going to be sad to see him go." His grandfather brought a hand to his temple. He rubbed it, wincing slightly.

Gary was quick to be concerned. "Headache again? You should probably get it checked out. Persistent headaches aren't good you know."

His grandfather shook his head, then took another sip of tea. "It's nothing to be concerned about. Just a little headache, that's all." He dug into his pocket and pulled out a packet of Panadol. "It's most likely just a cold."

"Well, I hope it is… but I still think you should go and see a doctor," Gary said, taking another bite out of his food. It didn't take him long to clean up his plate. Once he was done, he placed his plate in the sink, and made two glasses of water. One for himself and one for his grandfather. "Drink."

The professor did after taking two pills. "Thank you, Gary."

"No need to thank me, it was just a glass of water. I'll go and prepare myself for school and I'll come back down shortly. I'm taking control of the wheel today; I don't want you driving with those headaches. Besides, I need to get my hours up anyway," Gary explained. He was seventeen now and in his final year of schooling. He was the only one in his tiny group of close friends that had managed to obtain their learner's permit and he planned to be the only one to finish before the end of the school year.

His grandfather nodded. "I'll be down at the car waiting. Don't be too long."

Gary headed back to his room.

**.**

"So, Gary you eager to be back at school again after a three month long holiday?" Ash said from the backseat of the car.

Gary looked at Ash in the mirror. "What subjects are you taking this year?"

Ash was his best friend. It was an unlikely friendship; in Gary's first year, Ash was always annoying him in one way or another. He was loud, obnoxious and could be quite insensitive to other people's feelings without knowing it, but he proved to be a caring and loyal friend as Gary soon discovered. "Well, I dropped out of maths. You know I hate that subject."

"You were allowed to drop maths?"

"Well, I am the cycling champion so they agreed I could drop that subject to focus on my cycling," Ash explained. "It's the only thing I'm good at as Dawn likes to point out," he added, scrunching up his face. Dawn was the female school captain and she certainly enjoyed her position. She particularly liked to target Ash for whatever reason.

"Oh come on, you know Dawn doesn't hate you," Gary said, stopping at a traffic light. The traffic this morning was pretty heavy right now and that was probably because it was the first official day of the new school year. Good thing he left fifteen minutes earlier than per usual otherwise he'd be late for school.

Ash crossed his arms and snorted. "I'm sure she does. You know, on the last day of school last year, she gave me a lunchtime detention because I threw a water balloon at her. I mean, it was the last day of school year! How could I resist?" he complained.

Gary lightly chuckled. "Well, you know throwing stuff at other students isn't encouraged nor tolerated."

"I spent the entire hour writing out the same line over and over again. I will not throw water balloons or any other object at my fellow students. I have never written so much before in my life. My hands were so sore! And you know what she did? She took the paper off me, scrunched it up into a ball and threw it away! All that writing for nothing," he sulked.

"Well, if she bothers you, you can always take it up with the new male school captain, Barry."

"Barry is a good friend and all, but he can't stand up to Dawn. He's too much of a softie. I mean, come on, his mum still tucks him into bed every night," Ash said.

Even Professor Oak chuckled. "Are you sure that is true, Ash?"

Ash nodded. "He told me so."

The tall white building of the main school hall came into Gary's vision, as they drew closer to their destination. The hedge outside the spear-top fence had the words, 'Unova College'. Gary suspected it had taken quite a few hours for the letters to be perfectly trimmed like that. He drove up the main road and stopped at the drop-off zone. Ash quickly exited the car and Gary followed, then handed the keys over to his grandfather. "Bye, grandpa! I'll see you here at three." He waved goodbye, and Ash did the same. Professor Oak nodded and drove off.

"So… do you think the Elite Four gang will cause trouble again this year?" Ash said, as they started walking up the long driveway. A line of trees were situated to their right, while on the far side of the road, the large playing fields stretched out for a few kilometres. They were currently occupied by the school rugby team and Gary spotted Bruno, the captain, shouting at a player.

Gary turned his attention back to the conversation. "Well, I don't know. They didn't cause a great deal of trouble in the last term of last year."

The Elite Four gang were a group of four individuals who believed they had the right to boss people around. They were lead by a buff, blonde steroid junkie guy called Surge. He was followed by: Clair, a feisty stuck up bitch with a serious attitude problem, Karen, another feisty stuck up cow and Siebold, an aspiring arrogant chef.

For some reason, they thought they owned the school. Perhaps it was because Alder mistakenly made them hall monitors which gave them the power to give detentions to troublesome students. Obviously, they weren't particularly liked by the majority of the school cohort.

"And they're not the only troublesome group of students around. I hear Silver wants to take you down. You should watch your back, Gary," Ash pointed out.

Gary wasn't sure why Silver had taken an instant disliking to him. "I don't know why he hates me."

"Well, you did punch him in your first year here."

"Oh, yeah. I remember that." Silver was the first guy Gary had trouble with when he arrived at the school. He called him a 'pretty boy'. The boy was probably just jealous though because the girls thought he was highly attractive. Needless to say, Gary didn't hesitate in teaching the punk a lesson. He regretted now though – Silver was a vengeful bastard. "I did apologize to him about that though."

"A year later," Ash confirmed. "You know he never lets go of grudges."

"He won't cause me trouble this year. The new principal won't let that go unpunished."

"New principal?" Ash repeated.

Gary nodded. "Alder's leaving to go travelling. Ghetsis is taking over."

"Ghetsis? Isn't he that nature kid's father?"

Gary nodded again. "Yup, that's him."

"He looks scary," Ash admitted. "I've seen him on the screen. He wears medieval-like robes and carries a stick with him."

Gary shrugged. "I don't know much about him, but he could be a decent you know? N's seems like a pretty cool guy from what I've seen on his nature shows."

They continued to walk up the white path, when they heard the beginnings of an argument take place further up. Ash and Gary exchanged glances – from the sounds of sounds of it, it sounded like a pretty nasty fight was taking place.

.

I love highschool stories so much I decided to write one for the Pokemon fandom. I've already got another one up (Here's to Us), but that one reads more like a parody. I hope you enjoyed the opening chapter! There'll be more chapters coming soon!

Who would you like to see in Ash and Gary's friendship group? What pairings would you like to see? Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


	2. Schoolyard Brawl

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Pokemon do not belong to me

**Title**

Familiar Taste of Poison

**Summary**

Gary Oak has moved to Unova College in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends and seems to adapt well when things start to fall out of his control.

**Special Thanks**

Thanks to guest 1, EgoshippingFTW, AADL3, Guest 2, Pokemon lover, Guest 3, Ready to fly and unafraid for reviewing the previous chapter! Keep in mind, I haven't seen much of the anime and their personalities are based on what I have read and my own interpretations.

**.**

**Chapter Two: Schoolyard Brawl**

They wasted no time in getting there. There was a large group Gary made an approximate guess of around thirty people, standing in a circle. As they moved closer, they spotted their friend Eusine in the middle, flanking his friend, Morty.

Their friends were standing just a metre away from two guys, one with turquoise hair and another male with red spiked hair. Gary didn't recognize those faces. "Who the hell are they?" Ash said, running up to the crowd. Gary chased after him. This fight could get nasty.

"Ah, look, the cavalry arrived!" the steel blue male exclaimed, turning his head in Gary's direction. Turquoise eyes glinted with mischievous intent. "Don't have the balls to take us on yourself, Eusine?" he mocked.

Eusine noticed Gary and Ash's presence. "Don't get involved. We can take them," he said.

"What the hell is going on here?" Gary said. Again, he observed the new males. Both wore identical smirks on their faces.

"They arrived a while ago, and they've already caused trouble," Eusine answered, eyes never fixed on the opponents. "The guy with the turquoise eyes said something about 'taking over'. We're gonna let these jerks know they've made a mistake by coming here," he said, almost growling the latter part. He curled his fingers into a fist, and made a step towards the male with the turquoise hair, Morty got their first.

"Take him out, Morty!" Ash cheered, throwing a fist into the air.

The other students joined in the cheers as well, throwing encouraging comments in Morty's direction. Morty seemed to grow more confident as the cheers became louder. They were loud enough to be heard from the front gate. "Come on, take your best shot," the first male taunted. "Let's see how well you can fight." He snickered.

"Challenge accepted," Morty snarled. Ignoring Eusine's protests, Morty lunged forward, swinging his fists at the enemy. His attempts to inflict damage failed as the turquoise-haired boy easily evaded the attack. Morty growled again, and tried once more to attack, but once again his attack was avoided. "Just stay still."

"What? So you can hit me? That would be pretty foolish of me if I did that," the male replied, a triumphant smirk on his face. "But I'm not the foolish one here… you are. You did insist on starting this fight," he added, waving a mocking finger in front of Morty's face. His companion, the red head, laughed.

"This freak wears a scarf in the middle of summer."

Steven tilted his head examining Morty. "Now that you mention it, Lance, you are right. I guess he's trying to cover the love bites his boyfriend has given him," he taunted, earning a light-hearted chuckle from Lance.

"Like any girl or guy would be sane enough to get near that thing," Lance added.

"Yeah, you're right. He's probably got lice or some weird shit like that."

Gary stepped into the inner circle and walked over to join Eusine's side. "I don't know who you think you are, but you can't just come here onto our school grounds and pick fights with people."

Steven turned to face him. "And who are you? His boyfriend?" Gary didn't reply. "We have every right to be here. We're here to get an education. Just like you."

"We'll tell the principal and you'll be sent back to whatever hole you came from," Morty retorted.

"I don't think so… considering the new principal just happens to be our guardian," Steven sneered. "You seem shocked. You mean you weren't aware that your beloved Alder is leaving to be replaced by Ghetsis?"

Gary froze. Ghetsis was their guardian? "Your guardian?"

"He's given us a scholarship to study here," Steven said, directing his comment at Gary. "Only the best receive the honour. He handpicked us personally."

"A scholarship…" Ash muttered.

Steven seemed surprised then he casually shrugged. He jerked his head at Morty and Eusine. "Lower your fists otherwise you will be expelled. Ghetsis has a low tolerance towards the bloodthirsty type."

"Morty, do as he says," Gary warned.

"But-"

"Just do it, Morty. They're not worth the trouble." Great. It was going to be hard teaching these guys a lesson now with this new piece of information. Getting into a fight with Ghetsis' handpicked favourites wouldn't give leave a good impression. "Walk away, Morty," Gary heard Eusine say. "Gary's right. They're not worth it." Morty and Eusine turned their backs and retreated into the crowd.

They were soon joined by a female with brown pigtails. Lyra. She rushed up to Eusine and threw her arms around him. "Eusine! Oh my god, did they hurt you?" Eusine shook his head. The girl then turned her attention to Morty and embraced him tightly. "Thank God, you're okay! Dawn and I heard the fighting from a distance. We were so worried we weren't going to get in here time…"

"Don't tell me that scarf freak is your boyfriend?" Steven tested.

Lyra growled. "So what if he is, dumb shit."

Lance whistled. "Ouch, rash words from a lady."

"Fuck you," she spat.

"Please do," Lance replied, smirking.

Eusine lifted his hands. "All right, all right! Let's cut it out! Let's just… move on from this, okay?"

Gary continued to stare at Steven. Where did Ghetsis find this asshole? "Don't cause trouble with us, and we won't trouble you," he said.

"A truce then. Fine."

Somehow, Gary didn't believe him. The guy was far too cocky for his own good. He knew he had power here with Ghetsis coming to take over. The Elite Four weren't going to be too pleased with this; they liked being the dominant force. How would they react when they found out their position of power faced the threat of falling?

.

Lyra glanced at Morty. "Morty, you need to learn to control your temper. It's going to get you into serious trouble one of these days," she warned, taking a seat beside him. They were sitting outside on one of the tables waiting for the first bell to ring. "I mean, haven't those meditation sessions taught you anything?"

Morty spat at the ground. "Steven deserved it. We can't let him and his friend walk all over us. It'll get to their heads, and they'll begin to believe they have power over us," he defended.

"Morty has a point," Gary said. Lyra glared at him then Gary added, "But I don't think violence is the answer to the problem. I certainly don't want to start a fight." He had been involved in enough fights to last him a lifetime. That was a past he didn't want to repeat. "We'll ignore them. Don't let those guys get to you. When they realize that we're not reacting, they'll stop."

"Gary's right. Let's not start something we'll later regret," Eusine said.

Morty grimaced. "Fine. No fighting. But I don't like it."

"Uh oh, here comes the wicked witch of the twelfth grade," Ash said, jerking his head behind Morty and Eusine. The wicked witch of the twelfth grade, Ash's personal name for Dawn. The girl walked towards them, thin lips pressed together.

"Hey Dawn," Lyra greeted. Ash refused to admit Dawn was a friend, but she was and being friends with a school captain had its benefits. Like they were able to get away with things other students outside the group wouldn't, such as using their phones during recess. Phones were forbidden to be used during school time; teachers often said there was no need for them during school hours, and if they needed to contact someone, they were to visit the school office. But Barry, and even Dawn, allowed their friends to take sneak peeks.

Dawn acknowledged Lyra with a smile, then turned to Ash. "I heard that, Ash. I thought I told you to stop calling me that?" she said sharply.

"You're no fun," Ash muttered sourly.

Gary grinned. Ash and Dawn were literally made for each other; they just didn't realize it yet. She was always picking on Ash, and asking him to help her with easy tasks just for the sake of spending time with him, and he was always insulting her in turn or complaining. The sooner the two realized they were meant to be, the better for everyone, Gary thought.

"What's so funny, Gary?" Ash said.

"Sorry, I think you're both amusing, that's all. Bicker like an old married couple."

As expected, Ash and Dawn immediately went red.

"I would never marry her!"

"I would never marry him! My father wouldn't allow it!" Dawn blurted. Her father, Cyrus, was the CEO of the energy company, Galactic, and for some reason, really despised Ash.

Ash and Dawn turned away from each other, while the others laughed at their expense. "Aww, aren't they cute?" Lyra teased, making herself comfortable on Morty's lap. The two had been together for three years now and their relationship only seemed to be getting stronger. Gary sometimes wondered what it would be like to share everything with someone else, but he feared his past would reveal itself and the girl would be hurt. So he always turned down offers from enthusiastic admirers in the most polite way.

But there was one girl he found quite hard to ignore. She was possibly one of the finest looking girls in the grade; bright orange hair styled in a side-pony tail, and sparkling cerulean eyes full of life. She was looking at him now, smiling. Gary automatically grinned back; he couldn't himself. Every time their eyes met he felt a joy rise up within him. He knew the girl was interested in him – she was always looking at him when he thought she wasn't looking, always sitting close to him whenever possible and always willing to help him.

If only he could be with her.

"Gary? Are you alive in there? The bell just rang," Ash said, drawing Gary out of his thoughts.

Gary blinked. "Oh, yeah. I've got English with Miss Agatha."

"Hey, so do I!" Misty exclaimed.

Suddenly, the day just seemed so much brighter.

.

I decided to make Steven and Lance the antagonists of the story because I figured, since they were both Champions, they'd have that elitist superior attitude. This story will be an Ash/Dawn and Gary/Misty one since I like those pairings. The Morty/Lyra one is temporary and you'll see why in time. Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


	3. Secrets

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Pokemon do not belong to me

**Title**

Familiar Taste of Poison

**Summary**

Gary Oak has moved to Unova College in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends and seems to adapt well when things start to fall out of his control.

**Special Thanks**

Thanks to CavalierShark, lancexlyra4ever and Ready to fly for reviewing the previous chapter! Thanks to those who have added this story to their favourites and alert list as well!

**.**

**Chapter Three: Secrets**

Dawn couldn't stop looking at the back of Gary's head during English. She almost dazed off just by looking at him, but she was the school captain; people expected perfect behaviour from her, and school captains did not fantasize about their crushes during important lessons. She mentally slapped herself, snapping out of her trance.

Miss Agatha walked through the front door and stood in front of the class, a large red binder in her arms. "Good morning class. I hope you have all found the time to borrow _Macbeth?_" Simultaneous groans filled the room. Agatha sighed. "I didn't think so. Well that's alright because I have stocked the back shelf with the play so you have no excuse not to read the first scene tonight. Grab yourself a copy now. You're going to spend the double reading." She beamed a smile.

Dawn straightened in her chair. She loved Shakespeare… not that she'd ever tell anyone that though. People didn't view her as a fan of romantic tragedies, but the truth was, she found them quite compelling. One by one, everyone stood up from their chairs and queued to grab a copy. Dawn was one of the last people to grab one.

"What sort of language is this?" Dawn heard Ash whisper from the seat in front of her. They were sitting on the far right of the room, where there were four rows of double chairs. She was sharing a table with Misty who for some reason kept making eye contact with Gary. Dawn frowned. Did Misty like Gary too?

"It's Old English, Ash," Gary explained.

Ash stabbed his table with his pencil. "I hate reading. Reading is boring. They need to fill in these pages with pictures or something then I'd be more interested. Pictures do say a thousand words after all."

"There is a movie version of the play," Dawn said, tapping Ash on the back with the tip of her pencil. She caught Gary's eye and smiled at him, but he didn't appear to be looking at her. Did Gary like Misty? No way.

Ash turned around. "There is? I'd rather watch that than read this. I can't get my head around this Old English crap. It's making my head hurt. I can't believe people used to talk that. How foolish did they feel?"

"Probably not foolish at all Ash, considering that was the normal way of speaking back then," Gary said.

Agatha must have overheard their conversation because she suddenly called for attention. "I realize the Old English might take a little getting used to, so why don't you read in groups? Maybe you can take a role of a character and pretend to be them. Sometimes reading out aloud with other people can help you understand things better." She looked in Ash's direction, and Dawn knew she was definitely referring to him.

"I don't mean to interrupt Agatha, but not all of us can understand Shakespeare's works," Silver said. Although he was speaking to Agatha, he was looking at Ash the entire time. Several students chuckled.

Ash growled. "I'm not stupid, Silver!"

Dawn felt a pang of sympathy for Ash. He wasn't the brightest student around, but she suspected it was because he was really lazy and didn't want to learn. If he applied himself, she knew he would do a lot better. He needed encouragement. That was something she was afraid to give, in fear he would suspect she liked him. Which, of course, she didn't no matter what her friends believed. "Silver, please keep your comments to yourself," Dawn said. Gary was more her type, but sadly, he seemed more interested in Misty. Why?

Silver smirked. "Did I offend you by speaking the truth about your boyfriend?" he taunted, making kissy faces.

Okay, so it seemed like a lot of other people thought she liked Ash. Where on earth did they get that idea from? She didn't like him. Honestly. "He's not my boyfriend, Silver."

"Silver! Dawn! Ash! I will not tolerate arguing in this classroom! You are here to learn, not debate trivial matters with each other. Save that for the playground," Agatha snapped. Silver fell silent and turned his attention back to the play, although Dawn heard him mutter something about Dawn and Ash kissing under a tree. Oh, he was so going to pay for that comment later, Dawn thought. With the powers invested in her as school captain, she was going to give him a detention for whatever reason.

"Save that for the playground. Does she think we're five?" Dawn heard Ash mutter. Gary chuckled then stopped upon receiving a glare from Agatha.

"I will have complete silence otherwise I will keep you all behind for an extra fifteen minutes."

The class sighed, but they were smart enough not to anger Agatha further.

.

Morty sat down at his usual spot in modern history, which was right in the far left corner at the back of the class. The teacher was Sycamore, an eccentric blue haired man with wispy curls.

"Oh my gosh, is that you, Morty?" He frowned. Why did that voice sound familiar? He turned around slowly to face the speaker, and almost cursed. A slender short girl of around five foot three was looking down at him, her brown eyes wide with excitement. She twirled a lock of wispy, pink curls around a finger. "Don't you remember me, Morty? I'm Whitney. We met a few years ago."

Oh, he remembered her all right and he tried extremely hard to forget her face. Whitney was the biggest mistake of his life. There was a time in Morty's earlier years that he had gotten intimidate with the girl when he was just starting out with Lyra. The beginning of his relationship with Lyra was rocky ground, so he turned to Whitney for comfort. Terrible idea.

"Whitney…"

"We met at that camping music festival, remember? About three years ago?"

Ah yes, that festival. A severe storm had swept through the area and some of the tents had become flooded. Whitney approached him and asked if she could sleep in his and Morty couldn't say no. He wasn't going to leave the poor girl alone outside in the cold, so he invited her in, and the girl took that as a sign of interest.

"I remember," he said grimly. "Why have you come here? I didn't realize we had more new students."

Whitney sat down next to him, giving him a wide smile. "My school got shut down, so the council could build some apartments there. So I came here because I knew you would be here. It's much easier to adapt to a new school setting if you know someone," she explained.

How on earth was Lyra going to react to this? How was she going to react when Lyra discovered Whitney and her supposedly loyal boyfriend had gotten to know each other quite well? Morty had hoped to keep his past with Whitney secret, but the girl had a knack of gossiping and accidentally letting things spill. "I want to make this clear immediately, Whitney, but I've moved on from you. I've got a girlfriend."

"Lyra, right? You're still with that tramp?" Whitney sighed, rolling her eyes. "Don't be silly, Morty, I'm not here to steal you from her. Like I said, I had to move. I just want to make a fresh start and I hope we can be friends. It would make this transition so much easier for me if we didn't bare grudges."

Her joyful seemingly casual manner unnerved Morty. Surely, the girl could've gone to some other school – she _did _have other friends after all. But rather than create a scene in class, Morty bit his lip and nodded. "You're right. A fresh start."

Whitney smiled, flashing her perfect white teeth. "That's great! You know, I was thinking, maybe you could show me around the grounds? Hey, you could introduce me to your friends!" she exclaimed. Morty fought the urge to sigh. She was like an annoying clingy ex-girlfriend… oh wait, she was.

"Yeah… maybe some other time. You probably wouldn't want to hang out with my friends; they're a little too serious for your liking."

"If they're friends with you, they can't be _that _bad," she said, lightly tapping him on the shoulder.

Morty cringed. "Please don't touch me. People will get the wrong idea."

"Sorry Morty, it's just a habit, that's all."

She was taking this so much better than he thought. Surely, she had to be up to something. "It's all right." There were times when Morty hated himself for being a 'nice guy'. Right now he wished he was like Surge – Surge had no problem rejecting other people, or putting others in their places. But Morty? No, he couldn't do that. He was just too nice. "I'll introduce you to my friends at lunch," he said, before he could even stop himself. Dammit.

She smiled. "Thank you, Morty!"

Morty wanted to bury his face in his hands and weep. Why the heck had he agreed to that?

.

Looking around the room, Lance searched for the perfect spot. Normally, he sat in the back corner of the class so he could keep a close eye on all the pretty girls. Unfortunately, his preferred spot had been taken by a trio of rather wide guys. So he looked elsewhere and noticed an empty seat next to a pretty girl with brown pigtails. Cute, he thought. He immediately recognized her as the girlfriend of that scarf wearing freak, Morty. He glided over to the seat and sat himself down, giving the girl a cheerful wink. Sitting this close to the front made him uneasy, but at least he had a hot girl to keep him from dozing off.

"You're Lyra, right? I remember you from yesterday," he said, opening his modern history book to the very first chapter. The Cold War. Well, that didn't sound particularly mind stimulating. Lyra didn't say anything; in fact, it seemed like she was trying hard to ignore him. "You know it's rude to ignore someone talking to you."

Still, she did not speak. This was getting ridiculous. He wasn't used to girls ignoring him. Usually, they'd be fawning over his stunning god-like appearance. But not this girl. She was immune to his charms. Perhaps this chick was some silly nerd. Nerds were so dull; they had no personality. If she was, then it was a shame. What a waste. "I didn't get the chance to introduce myself properly to you yesterday, but I'm Lance."

Now she decided to speak. She cast him an icy glare. "Why are you talking to me?"

"I'm getting to know my fellow classmates better; I didn't realize that was a problem."

"I don't open myself up to people who threaten my family and friends," she replied, turning away from him. "Now, if you don't mind, could you please stop talking? I want to listen to what Mr. Charon has to say." The said teacher was currently pacing back and forth, blabbering on about the Cold War.

"Are you serious? You'd rather listen to this old fat fool blabber on about things that happened in the past than establish a friendship with your neighbour?" This girl surely had to be a nerd. She was so uptight and serious.

She nodded. "Yes," she said, speaking in a slow drawl. "He's got more to say than you have I'm sure," she added.

Lance leaned back in his chair, placing his arms behind his neck. "You're upset; can't say I blame you though, your boyfriend is a bit of a freak."

"Morty is not a freak," she hissed, turning back to glare at him.

Ah, now he was getting a reaction. He looked into her face carefully inspecting it. She was rather pretty; he didn't that much of her when they first met, but upon closer examination, he realized she was fairly good on the eyes. Chocolate eyes. Silky, shiny brown hair. Full lips. A cute button nose. And most importantly, a decent sized rack.

It was a darn shame she was hitched to some loser. Still, that wasn't going to stop him. He often convinced hitched girls to spend some time with him. Lyra would be no different. All he had to do was say the right words and soon she would be his. "He must be pretty pleased to have a girl like you at his side."

"And I'm glad to have him," she replied coldly.

Ouch. He could feel the sting in that one. The way she spoke made him wonder if she was the dominant type. He suspected so; she probably wore the pants in the relationship. She seemed liked the bossy, demanding and dominating type. He always liked those sort of girls; ones that would take control in the bedroom that weren't afraid to try new things. Sadly, this girl seemed to believe that Morty was the one. He'd shatter that illusion eventually though. He continued to look at her.

"Why don't you just take a picture?" she said.

Lance smirked. "As tempting as that offer is, I'm afraid I can't. No camera or mobile policy, you see."

"You don't seem like the type to stick to the rules."

Wagging his eyebrows suggestively, Lance came back with own comment. "There are a lot of things you wouldn't expect from me. I'd be willing to show you if you'd like."

"Are you forgetting that I have a boyfriend because he'll deal with you if I tell him you're harassing me," Lyra retorted.

"Hasn't stopped me from getting what I want before," he replied, giving her a toothy grin. He then winked. "You'll resist me now, but you'll come to me. They always do." His satisfied grin widened.

"I'm smart enough to not fall for a guy like you."

"Lyra! Lance! I will have silence!" Mr. Charon snapped. "If you interrupt class again, I will give you both a demerit!" The look on his face serious; Lance suspected the guy loved handing out demerits. He looked like the type who enjoyed making students stay behind class. He grumbled.

Lyra put on a fake smile. "You heard the man. Shut up."

.

Just to clear a few things up, there'll be some one-sided Dawn/Gary for drama purposes, but I am an egoshipper so it will eventually be Gary/Misty. Will Morty keep his one night fling with Whitney a secret from Lyra? Will Lyra give into Lance's advances? Find out more in the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


	4. Making Deals

**Disclaimer**

The rights to Pokemon do not belong to me

**Title**

Familiar Taste of Poison

**Summary**

Gary Oak has moved to Unova College in a desperate attempt to put his shady past behind him. He makes new friends and seems to adapt well when things start to fall out of his control.

**Special Thanks**

Thanks to angeldragonqueen, lancexlyra4ever and Ready to fly for reviewing the previous chapter! Thanks to those who have added this story to their favourites and alert list as well!

**.**

**Chapter Four: Making Deals**

"Did you see the hot blonde? You know the one with the cute button nose?" Lance started. He was lying down on a low lying stone wall outside on the playing fields. "Fuck, she was fucking gorgeous."

Steven nodded. "I think so… the one with the curvy hips?" He heard her name was Bianca. She was some rich, snotty girl with a fine frame who liked other guys with money. Cute face, but dim-witted. Steven didn't like stupid girls, even if they were cute.

"Yeah, that's the one," Lance lazily replied, gazing up at clear blue sky.

Wallace was also there, and he was less than impressed with the direction of this conversation. He was sitting on the wall, with his arms crossed over his chest. "You should smile more often, Wallace," Steven said. "Or are you afraid your face might crack?" he smirked.

Lance chuckled. "Speaking of hot girls, how many do you think are actually virgins?" He sat up now, giving Steven an amused grin. "Because I've just thought of this great idea - a way to make the next couple of months more exciting – I'm sure you won't refuse."

"I'll hear you out."

"Let's make a bet. Who can convince a virgin to spread her legs for himself first," he said with a smirk.

Steven wrinkled his nose. "Sounds interesting… dumb idea, because you are going to lose to me, but it'll be fun. We need to touch up on some of the details though, like the girl needs to be a specific virgin, and not just any. And what do I get out of it if I win?"

"Anything," Lance replied confidently. He was certain he wasn't going to lose.

"I'll take your room. Your one is bigger than mine for some reason. Agreed?" Ghetsis valued them highly he wanted his selected students to share an apartment together so he could keep them all in one place.

Lance nodded. "Agreed."

"We need to find out who the virgins are though, and I hear there's one girl who knows everything about everyone here. Her name is Malva. I'll seek out, get the information, and I'll pass it back onto you. Yeah?" Steven replied. In the corner of his eye, he caught Wallace rubbing his temples. Poor guy was stressed. "Wallace, don't worry about it. Nothing bad is going to happen. It's just a bit of fun, that's all."

"I have a bad feeling about this," Wallace said.

"You have a bad feeling about everything," Steven stated, rolling his eyes. "You need to loosen up. Maybe you should try jacking off once in awhile, it'll do you wonders for your health and state of mind." Wallace raised both eyebrows, looking a little flustered. Steven sniggered. Such risqué talk made the guy feel uncomfortable.

"I think I'm going to head to the library…" he started.

Steven laid a hand on Wallace's shoulder. "There's no need to run away, Wallace. The conversation is over now anyway. I'm going to find Malva now, so I'll see you guys over at the tennis courts. Jerking off isn't an option now, so a game of tennis will have to do." He sauntered off, leaving his two friends behind.

Now where would he find Malva? He hadn't actually caught a glimpse of the girl yet, but he knew what to look for. He had overheard two people talking about her yesterday in one of his classes. She was pale, skinny with dark hair and eyes. Not exactly the most detailed description, but at least it narrowed down his targets.

He headed back towards the school hallways where his locker was. Perhaps she'd be in there somewhere; after all, he had heard she liked the indoors, in particular, places where there were heaps of people. The hallways were always full – people were constantly swapping books, taking money, gossiping and making out here – so there was a good chance Malva would be there.

Fortunately, the hallway was only a short walk away. The school might be spread over a few acres of land, but the main buildings were all close together. He stepped inside the hallway and walked up and down slowly, keeping an eye out for Malva. He spotted a gaggle of girls hanging nearby talking loudly about some cute guy, falling silent as soon as he walked past. He smirked to himself, waved out to them, then continued on.

On the other side of the hall, he spotted some jocks arguing loudly about some sport game. Steven rolled his eyes; jocks. They were such a dumb bunch of guys incapable of having a thought outside sport. He continued to walk down until he reached his own locker, and was surprised to find a tall skinny woman with long pink hair leaning against it. She matched the description he had heard about Malva. Was this her?

"I take it you are Malva?" he asked.

Her orange eyes fixed on his face and stared at him for a couple of minutes. She looked him up and down, a hint of a smirk tugging the corner of her lips. "You're Steven then. I've heard a lot about you. I have to say… judging by what I heard I thought you might be one of those silly jocks," she replied, almost spitting out the word 'jock'.

So, the girl hated them too? Perhaps she was more than just an incredibly hot female. He stepped closer. "If you assumed I was a jock, then I suppose you've only heard bad things about me then?" She tilted her head and laughed. "Humour aside, I came to find you. I've heard you have information."

"The list detailing everyone's sex history, right?" Malva said.

"You don't seem too surprised."

She shrugged. "People come to me asking for a lot of things." She took a step closer to Steven, and leaned in to whisper in his ear. "Most people don't get anything… consider yourself lucky that you're still talking to me." She drew back.

"Will you give it to me?"

She laughed. "You think I'm going to give you such valuable information just like that? I expect payment in return." She crossed her arms, and took a step back, her eyes never moving from his face.

Well, this was a girl he wasn't used to conversing with. Most of the girls he bothered with were usually the attractive ones that looked easy to break. This was not such a girl. "What do you want then? Money?"

She shook her head. "Don't need it."

"Good grades. Some say I'm a child prodigy… I can get you perfect marks."

Again, she refused. "Try again."

His mind ran a blank. Despite all his intelligence, he couldn't figure out what else the girl could want. She didn't want money. She didn't seem to care about high academic results either. What else could she want? "I… am clueless."

She stepped towards him, and whispered into his ear again. Steven was aware there were students watching, but no one seemed to be doing much else. He suspected they were used to seeing people approaching Malva. "You've heard the term… sex sells, right?"

He immediately drew back. She wanted sex? "I don't fuck people I've only just met."

"Well, that's a shame… guess you won't get your information then…" she said mockingly, pulling back again, opting to lean against his locker door. "What's it going to be?"

Did he really need that information about virgins? He could find out a different way, but that would take ages and most girls would probably lie about it anyway. "I'll think about it."

"Going to keep me waiting then? You are such a tease." She reached down under her blouse, and pulled out a piece of paper then handed it to Steven. "My address if you decide to come."

.

"Dawn! The ball has to make it over the net!" Ash protested, shaking his tennis racquet at the poor confused and frustrated girl. They had been playing tennis for the past ten minutes, and Dawn had yet to succeed in actually getting the ball over the net.

"Well, if you gave me the chance to actually prepare my shot, then I could actually get it over the net!" Dawn screamed back.

"You can't take your time hitting the ball unless you are serving!" Ash retorted, his voice growing in volume with each turn to speak.

Dawn was just as loud, if not, louder. Gary exchanged knowing smiles with Misty. Ash and Dawn were basically born for each other, yet they couldn't see how perfect they were together. She shook her racquet. "You are just a ball hog!"

"And you can't aim!"

"At least I'm trying!"

"Well... at least I'm not a… a _girl!_"

"Oh boy, he's done it now," Gary said, tightening his grip on the racquet. Barry was standing on the left sideline refereeing the match. Not that there was really much to do though since the game was going nowhere at the moment. Dawn stormed over to Ash. Gary had to give Ash credit for standing his ground though; the boy didn't even flinch. It was like he welcomed the challenge.

Barry rushed over to the bickering pair and stood in between them before racquets could be thrown. "Okay, cool it. This is a friendly game, not a competitive battle. If you can't work together, then change partners. Gary, team up with Ash. Dawn, team up with Misty." Ash seemed relieved and hurried over to Gary's side of the net, while Misty joined Dawn. The two girls exchanged high-fives prompting Ash to make a weird snorting noise.

"Great. Now they'll probably do some girl-power mumbo jumbo," he muttered. He spun his racquet in his hands, and took on a stance.

Gary served the ball, and hit it hard over the net towards Misty. The ball bounced, and she ran forward and whacked it back towards Gary. Both Gary and Ash raced for it, but Gary got there first. He struck it back, this time towards Dawn. Dawn missed it by a mile. She screamed and hurled her net to the ground. "You're supposed to hit the ball, Dawn!" Ash teased.

She glared at him. "Shut up, Ash!"

"Okay, maybe this match up was a bad idea. Ash, you pair up with Misty, and Dawn you team up with Gary. That will even up the odds," said Barry. He looked like he was trying very hard not to burst into hysterical laughter.

Once again they changed teams. Dawn stomped over to Gary's side, and Ash walked over to his original position with the ball in his hand. He threw it over towards Dawn. "You can serve this time. You might get a lucky shot and get it over."

She stuck out her tongue, but picked up the ball. Heading over to her spot, she glanced down at the ball then at the racquet, as if trying to figure out what to do next. Gary felt sorry for her, so he walked over to her side, and stood behind her. "Here, I'll help you." He wrapped his arms around her, placing his right hand on her serving arm, and his left hand on the arm holding the ball. "Lift the ball up, and hold the serving arm back."

Dawn nodded, and with Gary's guidance, she got the right position. "Now what?" she almost squeaked. Was she nervous? What a difference from her previous behaviour.

"Throw the ball up in the air and the racquet forward at the same time," Gary said gently, moving her serving up back and forth slowly. In the corner of his eye he could see Misty looking a little annoyed. Gary quickly pulled back from Dawn – he didn't want to give either girl an indication he was interested – that would only cause trouble in the long run.

Taking in a deep breath, Dawn threw the ball up in the air, brought her serving forward and whacked the ball. The ball sailed over the net towards Ash, who was so shocked, he missed the ball. A wide smile crossed her face. She jumped up and down. "I did it! I hit the ball over the net!" She looked at Gary, "Thanks Gary!"

He smiled. "It's no big deal. We help each other out, that's what friends are for."

"You got lucky that time, but next time you won't be," Ash retorted, picking up the ball. He ran back over to his spot, and prepared to serve but stopped mid movement. "Oh no, we have trouble." He tilted his head forward, a simple action telling Gary and Dawn to glance behind them.

They did. Gary groaned. Steven, Lance and some other guy marched towards them. Something told him there was going to be trouble. "They can't be here! We've booked the courts for this hour!" Misty said, storming over to Gary's side of the net. Dawn followed. Gary and Ash traded looks – this wasn't going to end well.

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Another chapter down! See you all in the next chapter! Reviews are much appreciated, as always!


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